Episode 169: The Lavender Scare: How Queerness Became a National Security Threat cover art

Episode 169: The Lavender Scare: How Queerness Became a National Security Threat

Episode 169: The Lavender Scare: How Queerness Became a National Security Threat

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 Before “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and rainbow capitalism, there was the Lavender Scare—a government-backed witch hunt targeting LGBTQ+ federal employees as threats to national security. In this episode, we uncover how Cold War paranoia collided with homophobia, turning queerness into a crime of patriotism. From surveillance and mass firings to one man’s fight that helped spark a movement, we trace the eerie parallels between 1950s propaganda and today’s anti-trans legislation and drag bans. History doesn’t repeat—it legislates.
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